Icd implant

I had my St. Jude 3 lead pacer changed out for a pacer/defibrillator last week.  It seems to show much more than my pacer.  It is like a big lump almost on my shoulder.  Has anyone had this experience and does it level out?

Ellen

2 Comments

Many will settle in

by Grateful Heart - 2018-01-28 18:56:13

And some do not.  My CRT-D was flat in my chest when first implanted.  When I needed a lead revision (7 years ago), the same device was reimplanted and now it sticks out.  It may be where it sits in the pocket. 

Most will settle down though.

Grateful Heart

Size matters

by ROBO Pop - 2018-01-29 11:34:01

If you go to the manufacturer's web site and compare the physical dimensions of your old device to the new you will see that in fact the defibrillator is larger.

A pacemaker only needs the electronic circuitry to pace the heart. A defibrillator has all the pacer electronics plus the hardware necessary to provide ATP therapy plus provide a Jesus Jolt. Most notably a large capacitor is mounted inside the can which holds the electrical charge as it builds up to jolt you. 

So yeah a defibrillator is always larger. As to how noticeable it is, it really depends on where and how they locate it.

I had a CRT-D (3 lead defibrillator pacemaker for the novices) in the left that looked like something from the movie alien coming out. It was replaced by an identical device on the right side and I hardly notice it...though the growling sounds it makes are enough to wake the dead.

You know you're wired when...

You run like the bionic woman.

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Yesterday was my first day mountain biking after my implant. I wiped out several times and everything is fine. There are sports after pacemakers!